Peregrine Falcons first nested on Derby's Cathedral, England, in 2006. Our Peregrine Project is now run by a partnership between Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Derby City Council, Derby Cathedral and the Cathedral Quarter. Here is what's happening in 2015. . .

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Friday, 24 June 2011

Watch Points to continue plus donations feedback

News Update Friday 9pm: all four juveniles plus the falcon on the tower top, the tiercel on JI.

All rather wet looking....

Tomorrow's Watch Point should be OK - do come down, see the birds and say hello.

News Update: Friday 24th June 4:00pmAll four peregrines have now successfully left the nest. The last to leave flew out at 3:30pm today. We believe her maiden flight was OK, though are awaiting news of all six birds being seen at once - which isn't always easy!

With superb help from our volunteers, it will now be possible to continue the watch point 'season' through until, and including, Saturday July 2nd.

So do get down to Derby, see the youngsters learning to fly and do say 'hello' - if you possibly can.

Just to remind you: we run them from 11am to 1.30pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

So far we have received donations on The Green of over £300 - so a big thank you to everyone who has put something in the donations box or in the plastic peregrine with the hole in its head!

We have had some lovely comments from visitors and it is just great to see how thrilled people are when they set eyes on our birds for the first time through the telescopes.

Last Saturday, this family came to Derby from Blackwell, some 20 miles away, just to see the peregrines.

All four children (Olivia, Lewis, Erin and Daisy) had a look through the telescopes and went away very well pleased with their visit - as did their parents.

We know that many other people are still making special visits to Derby just to see these magnificent birds - and that is very heartening.Meanwhile, a big thanks to the cathedral for sharing 50/50 the proceeds from the tower tours run on the peregrine event day (30th May) - that brought us in another £112.

So far from personal donations made as a result of our appeal on the blog we have received over £1,200. Add in the other income (eg from 5 DVDs sold at watch points and the donations there) and our new total for income since April now amounts to £1652 - so we are getting close to our target of £2000! This is sufficient to meet our hardware costs and webhosting fees, but unfortunately doesn't meet costs of people's time to maintain or develop the project. We are lucky that so many people are still willing to commit some or all of their time to Derby's peregrines for free. Do please keep it coming (we may well need more next year!).The project team extends a big thank you to everyone who has contributed so far - and there are over twenty of you (plus the class from Gorsefield Primary School in Bury, near Manchester, who sent £20 - a really marvellous effort!).

Now let's hope our four youngsters all survive their early days in the air without any further mishaps. It should be fun watching them get their aerial confidence!

Fingers well-crossed please......and keep your eyes on the comments to get the latest brief updates from the project team.

Thanks for your various concerns about the remaining youngster. I have certainly seen her looking active, wing flapping and standing on the edge of the platform this morning when I was down there so I suspect/hope she's OK.We do need to remember that these are entirely wild birds. They don't (as far as we know) have emotions and feelings as humans do.All we did in Derby was to provide the adults with a 'nest box' much as you might do in a garden for blue tits - and then leave them to it so to speak. While we do rescue them if they come to ground (or nearly so as with the one on Monday) we would be prevented by law from abseiling down to the nest to retrieve the last one even if we were sure it was sick. We could possibly seek a licence to do so - though last year, when there were two sick chicks, such a request was rejected.I feel sure this last bird will fly sooner or later....let's hope so before we spend too much time thinking about what to do if it doesn't!Nick B (DWT)

I saw her doing a lot of flapping about exercising her wings this morning and there were several times when she looked as though she was going to launch herself off the ledge. Maybe life is cosy on the scrape and she will go when she is ready.

Following our recent holiday in Toronto, Canada and watching at the Sheraton Hotel the 4 peregrine chicks who live on the top floor of the building, one of those chicks has not fledged yet, she doesn't appear to be bothered either and she is quite a bit older than the Derby chicks. There's still time yet for ours.

Last month I had used records from 2007 (which were very close to this years laying dates) to suggest a fledging date of 23 June. Clearly three have fledged well before this - but we are still on track, I feel.

Maybe next year we ought to install some electric shock mechanism to give the hangers-on a bit of a kick start.

Nick Brown reported in this morning from an early visit to the Cathedral to say that falcon 012 was in the tray with her sibling, and that another juvenile - possibly the male 015 was on the roof of Queen Street Swimming Baths eating a moorhen. As they've recently closed the superb little cafe in the swimming baths (council cutbacks) we can only assume that the bird had been brought in by one of the adult peregrines!

At the time of his call we were not sure of the whereabouts of the other juvenile, but we don't have any worries at all at the moment.

I'm on standby today in case of emergencies and am monitoring all emails and blog comments in real time.

It's breaking my heart watching the 4th chick. She is sleeping far to much. I've been watching other peregrines on other site's and none of them seem to sleep as much as this one. I know it's out of your hands but seem's so unfair. I just can't understand why she can't be helped?? Just willing her to fly.

I finding it almost unbearable to watch. I think i won't look anymore then have to see whats happening. I don't understand why in some instances we're aloud to interfere and others we can't.It seems such a shame that just for the difference of being in the nest or out decides where're it can be given help or not. i know your hands are tide.feeling very sad at the moment.

This morning the peregrines was sunbaving on the platform .We wonder where the other peregrines are. We don,t no if the other peregrines are ok. When do you think they will be abul to cach there own prey? We think they are very good at flying now.

There is still one young peregrine on our nest platform. Will she fly today? Quite possibly. If not - then probably sometime tomorrow.

At 3 o'clock the Head Verger, Tony, rang me to say that there were five peregrines on the roof of Jurys Inn - a tall hotel not far from the cathedral. Most were on the roof, but two were perched on the huge blue letters on the side of the building. So they're all OK.

Some people seem to think we should be helping in some - but this is really not necessary. And that would really be interfering with a natural process, wouldn't it? As far as I can tell, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the youngster. She will fly soon, I'm sure. They often flop down and lie on the ground when they're feeling a bit lazy. Then, just a few minutes later, up they get and stand to attention or do a bit or preening or wing-flapping.

Over the next few weeks the adult peregrines will help and teach the young birds to hold and catch food in the air. Just as your teachers help you do things you're not very good at. Then suddenly you discover that it's all very easy and simple - like reading, or swimming, or riding a bike. What things have you learnt to do recently that you're really proud of?

Tony Grantham has just checked outside the Cathedral and there is no sign of the fourth bird that fledged at 15:30pm. There are no sounds of distressed calling, and no agitated parents. So we are hoping she managed to get to a nearby roof successfully.

We'll report back when we know more.

Fort anyone wanting to watch lots of aerial action, this weekend on Cathedral Green should be good. A bit of shopping; a bit of birding; and a chance to call in to a special open day at The Silk Mill Museum which is running lots of activities and listening to your ideas on how museums should be developed in Derby.

Latest Update 9pm Saturday: all four juveniles are on the tower, three on the ledge above the nest, one the 'wrong side of the 'pud' cam but the other two in front of it. (Nick M will soon change the cameras over so we can see the view across the ledge).The fourth is on a pinnacle, only visible from a car park on Cathedral Road. The falcon is on another pinnacle and the tiercel on Jurys Inn.All look rather wet - not surprisingly since it is raining steadily in Derby this evening.Nick B (DWT)

For all you worry-pots (totally understandable, by the way!), now you see why these juvies need to be left alone to find their own way in life. I'm sure the team are as anxious as anyone when a fledging is reluctant to leave but can only guess, just like us, why that may be.

This is all part of the experience & the privilege in being able to watch nature at work whilst leaving them to their own devices as much as possible, isn't it?

This is still early days for the young birds. They will face many perils in the days and months to come and the likelihood is, most of them will not survive to live full and lengthy lives like 'our' two adults. That's why projects like this have become so important for a species that a few years ago was on the very brink of extinction, thanks to man's meddling with nature.

For all we know, the last fledgling might turn out to be the most successful & long-lived of them all...just like that sickly, shy, quiet kid at school who went on to become hugely more successful or important than everyone else! :D